I have to admit it, it wasn’t quite what I expected but all the same it was a fun read, if you can have fun reading a story that also makes you want to cry. I admire an author who can take a really tragic story and add a light touch so that it never becomes maudlin. And this story could have. There are tough issues in this book. It’s not Bill Bryson discussing hiking the Appalachian trail. This book really is a tragedy but you won’t feel depressed after reading it, or at least I didn’t. There was enough lightness to keep it from becoming dark.
I’m not surprised that Alexie won awards for this book. It’s not something I would have picked up otherwise but it was definitely worth the time to read and offers much food for thought. He’s someone to watch and I’ll be looking for more of his books.